Lurking Below the Surface, October 13, 2017

A fallen tree lurks below the surface of Cherry Creek Pond in Fort Robinson State Park, October 2017. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I felt like the fall colors of 2017 lasted a good long time. Maybe because I was trying to get out and take more photos than usual. On this particular day, I drove out to Fort Robinson twice, because I felt like there was plenty to see and shoot. With calm water on Cherry Creek Pond, and just the right angle of sun, I found an underwater and surface scene that I really liked. The reflection of the trees on the water adds a middle element to the underwater foreground and upright tree background.

Grabel Pond, Fort Robinson State Park, September 29, 2017

Foliage at Grabel Pond in Fort Robinson State Park, September 2017. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Skeletal fractal foliage on a dreary day. I remember heading out to Fort Robinson for some fresh air, and the flat lighting didn't quite hold the promise of exciting landscape photography. The compensation was a tasty ice cream treat at the shop in Crawford, which can brighten any day. I was drawn to the clean lines of this bush, species unknown to me, whose multi-stemmed ends glittered prettily. This is an example of embracing the chaos, simplifying to some extent with a black and white, high contrast treatment, but otherwise letting the complexity fill the frame. There's plenty of detail to explore in scenes like this.

Mist on Black Elk Peak, September 17, 2017

Fog over the lookout tower on Black Elk Peak, September 2017. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

My second hike up Black Elk Peak since 2004. I missed the mist at the top, but saw a bit of it partway up. There's a fair amount of post-processing to make the tones in this scene work. It starts off fairly low contrast, and there are any number of tonal adjustments possible. This may be a bit overcooked, but I'm going with it for now. I like the veiled appearance of the tower, even with all of this extra contrast.

Looking Down Black Elk Peak, September 17, 2017

View from the lookout tower on Black Elk Peak, September 2017. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

A woman looks over a cliff edge on Black Elk Peak. My first hike to the top was in early 2004, when the mountain was called Harney Peak. I was looking forward to another hike up 13 short years later. At the top, I was naturally drawn to the mountain shapes going into the distance, but there were also interesting sights closer to where I stood.
This is a long-lens version of the useful near-middle-far composition arrangement. The woman provides a human element in the foreground, and a bit of dramatic tension as she leans forward to peer over the edge. The prayer flags in the middle provide a bit of color, and the mountains in the background provide a sense of depth.

Bighorn Mountains in the Mists of the Distance, September 2, 2017

Mountains seen from Hospital Hill in Bighorn National Forest, September 2017. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

There is a scenic pullout at Hospital Hill on the east edge of the Bighorns near Buffalo, Wyoming. From here you can see the wonderful stacked shapes of the mountains in the distance. A fine place to stop before entering the mountains proper, and the views are especially good at sunset. I like the little details of each layer, with the glaciers on the farthest peaks providing punctuation. I used a small aperture to keep the foreground grasses sharp along with the mountains. This allows that foreground element to anchor the scene.

Solar Eclipse Composite, August 21, 2017

Composite astrophotograph showing the sun's corona during a total eclipse in August 2017, with an overlay of the full moon from September 2017. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The eclipse was worth the planning and waiting in the heat. I hadn’t seen a total solar eclipse before, and the whole experience was fantastic. This is a composite of the August corona and the September full moon. The edges are always tough to deal with in these situations with all the contrast, but I got it close.

Double Eight Ball Rules

Double Eight Ball is a pool variation that I worked on in the spring of 2004.

Two cue balls are used, referred to as W1 and W2 in these rules. Cue balls may be marked according to house rules.

Two eight balls are used, a solid eight and a striped eight. The eight balls may be marked according to house rules.

Break from the kitchen, with W1 and W2 evenly spaced. Break determined by house rules. Breaker can choose which cue ball to hit first.

If break cue ball doesn’t pocket anything, move to next cue ball, and call suit.

If the break cue ball does pocket anything, call suit, and keep hitting until you miss or scratch, then move to next cue ball.

When next cue ball misses or scratches, next player’s turn.

If you pocket wrong suit, go to next cue ball or next player.

If you pocket your ball but still scratch, ball is over; go to next cue ball or player.

After all of your balls are pocketed, go for respective 8 ball.

If W1 causes W2 to scratch, turn is forfeit unless W1 pockets object ball. W1 continues until end, and W2 is skipped.

Scratched cue balls are played from the center of the table or the closest location to the center.

In the event of a double scratch, play W1 from the center, then replace W2 at the center after the first hit on W1.

Sample Game

1. Choose cue ball to break with
2. If pocket,
1. Call suit
2. If pocket, continue
3. If miss/scratch, 4d
3. If miss/scratch, 4a
4. Move to second cue ball
1. Call suit
2. 2b
3. If miss/scratch, 5
4. Try next shot, with second cue ball
5. If pocket, continue
6. If miss/scratch, 5
5. Move to Player 2
1. Move to first cue ball (second cue ball from 4)
2. 2b
3. 2c
6. When all of a suit are pocketed,
1. Go for 8 ball of that suit
2. If pocket, win
3. If miss, move to second cue ball
4. If miss, go to next player
5. If scratch, lose
6. If neither cue ball or 8 ball hits rail, move to second cue ball
7. If same as 6f for second cue ball, lose